A Final Word

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

The Dog Food Advisor does not test dog food products.

We rely entirely on the integrity of the information provided by each company. As such, the accuracy of every review is directly dependent upon the specific data a company chooses to share.

Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Each review is offered in good faith and has been designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.

However, due to the biological uniqueness of every animal, none of our ratings are intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific dietary response or health benefit for your pet.

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt, consult a qualified veterinary professional for help.

In closing, we do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.

However, we do receive a fee from Chewy.com for each purchase made as a direct result of a referral from our website. This fee is a fixed dollar amount and has nothing to do with the size of an order or the brand selected for purchase.

Have an opinion about this dog food? Or maybe the review itself? Please know we welcome your comments.

Try Authority. $40 for a 30lb bag isn’t bad at all, and it’s rated 4.5* on here. It’s done wonders for my now one year old Bluetick Coonhound! (for reference, she’s about the size of a Pointer)

April Conley

I bought Kal Kan for my American Bully. He has been experiencing awful diarrhea and bloody stools. I’ve taken him to the vet 2 or 3 times trying to figure out what was causing this. At first we thought it was due to his chewing habit. I took anything and everything away from him so that we could fix the problem. It was an unsuccessful effort. If anything the problem became worse with each passing day. I decided a few days ago to try a grain free alternative. Since that very day the bloody diarrhea stopped. I felt like such a terrible person feeding him something that would cause such awful problems. I’m very glad that I made the switch.

mahoraner niall

you should just simply sue mars ( i just found out by scrolling to the way bottom of their website and it said trade mark of mars, see for your self, scroll down and read the very last line on kalkans website)

they have killed too many pets already with pedigree,

Although do give them credit for nutro, califonia naturals and EVO, And formerly innova.

LabsRawesome

Check out 4health at Tractor Supply, they have dog and cat
kibble.
Walmart has Pure Balance and Rachael Ray.
Stay away from cheap grocery store foods, they are all the same, junk.

Renee Gonzales

I have been feeding kal kan to my 5 dogs for over a year they didn’t have diarrhea or throw up except one has acid reflux in the am it’s ingredients isn’t the best & sometimes they don’t want it because its dry & plain but I’ve started mixing flax seeds in for energy & more fiber. I do like that I don’t have to buy another bag every 2 weeks this lasts 3 & cost is good but I am thinking it’s time to change. One thing I’ve noticed I. This brand & purina cat food is that some flying moths that attract to rugs & clothes are coming from these store brand bags!!! They are a nuisance & I was told that the host laid eggs in the bag or the produce line & then the larva hatches once bag is opened & there’s those stupid moths!!!! So ya I’m gonna get better quality on both dog & cat food

Nicole PM

I believe we should all get together and sue the company of Kal Kan for loss of life and other integral damages in lue of Thomas Dotson’s severe situation with his now passed away pit.

Thomas Dotson

I have or should I say HAD a 2 year old pit bull. We have been feeding him Purina since we have had him. Just 3 days ago we bought some kal kan cuz it was on sale at Walmart. Well after feeding him it since 3-5-16 we woke up today on 3-7-16 to a dead dog!!!!!! He was up to date on shots and everything and was completely healthy!!!!! Never had a problem till he ate this junk. Well sad to say he won’t be eating it again cuz I lost my dog!!!!!!!!!

Susan

Take back the food, get a refund, when ever my boy wont eat a food or gets itchy skin or diarrhea, I take back the food & get a refund, always read ingredients first…

Kendra

I have a rotwiler and a boxer/mastic mix, both my babies love Kalkan and it lasts me about 3 weeks, I do free feed them both and they don’t usually eat more than 2 cups in a day. Boxers have a very sensitive digestive system so I was actually suprised when he had 0 issues with switching to kalkan verses all the problems he had with pedigree and Iams

thisguy

I bought this crap cause it was the only bag with 54lbs and 20$

My dogs American and English Bulldog broke out in hives in about a couple of hours

Whomever made this crap should shoot themselves

Zero stars

Pitlove

Hi Kayla- what is your budget exactly? Keep in mind that you are probably feeding more with Kal Kan because of a lack of nutrients than you would on a better food, meaning you wouldn’t need to buy food as often.

You would not need to feed as much of this food, so a 33lb bag should last you a lot longer than you think. This is probably one of the best budget friendly foods on the market in my opinion.

good luck to you and your dogs. I have a pitbull as well. such a wonderful breed.

Pitlove

Hi Nicole- What price range are you looking for in terms of finding a better budget friendly food?

Nicole PM

This dog food is awful. I’m not able to afford good dog food and this bag of Kal Kan was the cheapest. I was upset with my dogs pooping on the floor, then I came here to this site to discover that kal kan is a fraud dog food. All three of my dogs are sick and have diarrhea. Unfortunately now I have nothing to feed them because I spent my money on this bag. Don’t know what to do now. Please help.

Dori

Either way it wouldn’t be pretty! ☺️

Hater & Molly’s Mom

I gotcha, lol!

Dog_Obsessed

Hmm. Depends on what Purina food, but I think Purina would be the fire and Blue Buffalo the frying pan. 😛

Dog_Obsessed

I agree! That’s what I meant, I just put it weirdly. 😀

Hater & Molly’s Mom

BB’s ingredients look good on paper only. I don’t trust that any of their ingredients are good. I know i would be highly upset if i found out the food i was feeding had byproducts in it, when they clearly state they don’t use them.

Dori

I agree Dog Obsessed. I don’t feed either one nor would I ever nor have I ever. Take your pick as to being like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I’m not sure which I think would be the fire or the frying pan.

Dog_Obsessed

Oh, okay. That makes sense. I’m glad someone is putting them in their place, but unfortunately Purina is getting a lot of marketing from it.

theBCnut

I wouldn’t feed either of them either, but I can understand Purina suing them. They have been vilifying Purina and it’s ingredients for years and they have the same ingredients in their food.

Dog_Obsessed

Yeah. Purina is suing them, which is pretty ironic if you ask me. I wouldn’t feed either of them.

Deborah

I also have heard about that with Blue! I don’t feed blue but yes I heard they had a issue mislabeling and adding by-products.

Dog_Obsessed

Blue Buffalo has good ingredients, but the company has been having some quality control/mislabeling issues lately that make me not want to trust them. One of their foods was found to have poultry-by-product meal when it claimed to be by-product free.

Deborah

Switch to Pro Plan or Innova , Blue Buffalo is good as well

Deborah

What food are those ingredients too. Not Kalkan, Kalkan’s ingredients are:

The worse part is that Ground yellow corn is the first ingredient, since corn is really bad to give dogs, especially if they have food allergies.

Deborah

“April” Kalkan’s ingredients are below low, but so is Pedigree, I used to feed Pedigree to my dogs when I was a younger adult then had a foster dog drop all his weight and hair from eating Pedigree, I also had a second dog that was getting sick from it. I found out that is wasn’t just me, tons of reports about the same thing happening, even some report of dogs dying from being malnourished because that food is so awful.
I currently am a AKC Breeder/Owner/Handler and if you came to a dog show and talked about feeding either of these foods, every person there would tell you to drop the bag of food and run away from it!”. You should find your dog a better healthy food it will take a little bit for your dog to adjust, like he would be going through a detox cleans, A lot of choices out there, and sure not all are 100% perfect but foods like Pro Plan, or Innova are better for your dog. we also feed a mixed verity of raw diet and veggies. Now I understand it can be expensive to switch to these types of food from the Pedigree food but because they have better ingredients you will have a healthier happier, dog.
Hope this helps.

Dog_Obsessed

Smart dogs for refusing this awful stuff! And smart you for researching it! Would the store maybe let you return the food? It’s worth a shot.

Angela Mills

This is the most horrible dog food that I have EVER bought ! I bought, for the very first and last time a 50 lb. bag. My animals will not touch it even when they are very hungry. I still have this 50lbs. of their dog food and dont know what to do with it. However, after reading your review throwing it away seems like the only option I have.

Mari

I guess you don’t read, i said i checked, still looks expensive to me. There’s no getting through to you, you’re definitely one of those ppl who thinks they know it all. You should be rich by now with all the books youve written since you know so much!! End of the day, he’s my dog so if i wanna feed him kalkan i can, cause guess what! Hes mine and he likes it, both of my dogs do. Have a nice day, i’m not entertaining your repetitive argument anymore.

aquariangt

I’m not, which is why I told you to read through them. I do know that there are plenty of other people who are though-and if you can’t look through the forums, I could mention it to them and have them come and give you some tips.
I don’t own your dog, but I do know how calories work. It has nothing to do with “Well my dog eats 4 cups a day no matter what.” for optimal health, you do it based on the calories of that specific dog food, so it should be changing. My dogs get different amounts depending on what they are on at that time. And I do understand plenty about burning calories, there is a reason you feed different amounts based on activity. I have multiple dogs, one is a sport dog and eats more calories than the others who don’t get the same workout on a regular basis

Mari

Lmao right. And your one of those ppl?? I doubt you have any clue. Unless you own the dog i have, you have no idea how,much he eats. He is a guard dog, so he spends the majority of his day burning his calories. Checked out lots of forums, they all look expensive to me.

aquariangt

something to keep in mind is how much less of a food of higher quality you have to feed compared to something like this. If you head over to the forums, there are lists of budget friendly foods (all higher quality and would have to feed a lower amount) as well as threads on coupons-there are a few members here also in school full time so they work off of a tight budget, and still manage to feed higher quality items.

aimee

Or ….Maybe Mari has excellent observational skills and her dogs are enjoying optimal health using a different feeding strategy from one you would choose.

Mari

They would show signs. The thing is theres other ways to get them nutrition. When i can afford it i buy a case of wet dog food (alpo chophouse) & large bag of dog food & mix it together for them. My husband brings prime rib once a month from work, i give them ground meat when i have extra, i boil rice for them occasionally & add egg to their food. They go through a 55 lb bag in 2 weeks. What all of you who keep saying stuff about the food dont understand is that some of us have tight pockets. I only work a temp job now & go to school full time, so no, i cant afford to just buy 30 pounds of food for 30$, that won’t last me anything & by months end i will have spent a lot more thsn having just bought the 55 lb bag for $20.

DogFoodie

Maybe your dogs do feel sick; but, having never fed them optimum nutrition, you’re unable to appreciate the difference.

Mari

You lost me, what’s your point?

aquariangt

Correct. Which enforces my point.

Dog_Obsessed

I suppose you could also try a vegetarian dog food, as they often contain plant protein. Just make sure it contains all the nutrients that your rats need. I used to have rats and they are amazing!

Mari

There’s no way a human can eat fast food every day and not feel sick. Watch super size me.

aquariangt

That logic doesn’t really work. It’s like saying you eat fast food every day, don’t get sick or malnourished, so there must not be anything wrong

Mari

I’ve never bought expensive food and have had 2 dogs die of old age. I think i’ll be alright & so will my dogs. No need for luck.

Hater & Molly’s Mom

It’s not that i ” know so much ” as you say. I was a long time Eukanuba feeder. That’s even a step above what you are feeding. I fed that to my last three dogs. As they got older they developed a lot of health problems. At the time i had no idea it could have been from the food i was feeding them. Not one of them died of old age. Now i have two more dogs and im so thankful that i found DFA! I started out feeding them Eukanuba as well until i did my research on here. You have no idea what that food could be doing to your dogs organs.

Vets get very little training in nutrition. Most of them will recommend Science Diet, Purina, and Iams. Good luck with your dogs!

Mari

Since you know so much, enlighten me, why aren’t my dogs ever sick if the food i give them is so crappy? I have an 80 pound male boxer and a 60 pound female. So I wonder to myself, why arent they skinny and malnourished? Why do they look so healthy and why hasnt my vet said anything? If the food i feeding my dogs looked like it was doing them harm I wouldn’t let them eat it. The way i don’t let them eat chocolate or onions.

Mari

I already explained why, in both comments.

Hater & Molly’s Mom

It’ wonderful that you are giving them rice, meat, eggs and veggies considering that you are feeding this food. I don’t understand why you consider it a treat? And why just twice a month? Ol Roy is not a food any dog should eat.

Mari

The fact is that they arent children. They may act like children, but they aren’t. And YOU may not think its special food, that’s your opinion. Everyone has an opinion on what pricey is.

Hater & Molly’s Mom

I know my girls would eat Kibbles & Bits every day if i allowed it. My grandchildren would eat McDonalds every day too if it was allowed. It’s up to us as pet parents to feed them a healthy food. Dogs rely on us for all their needs. I don’t think buying a four or five star food is considered “special food”. You don’t have a spend a lot for a good quality food. There are plenty of budget friendly foods.

Mari

Dogs eat all sorts of stuff. My dog ate half a squirrel the other day, so i doubt he cares what kind of food he gets as long as it’s tasty. They’re dogs!! I love my boxers like my own children, but come one, at the end of the day they’re dogs. He’s not some fancy pants lil diva dog that only eats special food. Dogs arent meant to be sensitive, their owners make them like that cause they put them on special food and diets. Oh & he’s very healthy, my dogs get regular check ups at the vet.

DogFoodie

That’s called complacency, Bob.

theBCnut

Yes, as a reason why April should not expect ANYTHING to be given to her from the dog food company. I did not say or suggest in any way that she should sue the company, I said she should report the food issue to the PROPER government regulating agency. Do you think Kal Kan is going to report themselves? Because I don’t see it happening. And no, the FDA does not require proof. If enough complaints are filed, they do the investigation and they hire independant labs to do the testing and they find the proof they need, or not. You really don’t understand what the FDA does, do you?

Bob K

You brought up shyster lawyers and the broken legal system and lawsuits. Read what you posted. Court cases are not cheap, again no one works for free and proof is required.

theBCnut

Who said anything about court or winning a judgement? You can’t seem to read what is written. Or are you just one of those sue happy nuts?

Bob K

Do you know the cost to take a large company to court? Do you know the evidence you need to prove your case without a reasonable doubt to win a judgement? Best thing to do find a better kibble and call the company to complain and get your money back. All sorts of things can happen to kibble once it is shipped out of a factory and to prove your case would be challenging, time consuming and expensive to say the least.

Bob K

April – Now that you found this website perhaps you will take the time and find your loved one a better dog food for the same or less money. Using this website as your guide it is time to do some comparison shopping. A few stores to visit: Menards, Farm & Fleet, Costco,. You can get many 3 and 4 star rated kibbles for under $1.00/lb. Remember to transition slowly to a new dog food.

theBCnut

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pedigree-dog-food-dry/
Pedigree is no better and they would have treated you the exact same way. Thanks to shyster lawyers and our broken legal system, giving you an inch could have opened them up to all kinds of lawsuits, so they will never admit any wrong. You should send samples and the bag info to the FDA, not just the company. The company can hush things up.

April Bruns

ABSOLUTLY NEVER AGAIN!!! I purchased a 48lb bag of Kal Kan from WalMart a few weeks ago and it was the WORST MISTAKE EVER!! I normally feed my dogs Pedigree but they did not have the big bag so i thought i would try this one since it was with the more expensive brands. I fed my dogs this food for 3 days when they started having very bad diareah. Then my older dog strted vomitting and sh*tting at the same time my poor baby!! Then i noticed he had bloody stool.I had to go rent a carpet shampooer for the distgusting mess that was all over my carpet in their room. As i was cleaning i realized that i needed to pour that big bag of food in the storage bin so as i did i saw a huge clump of something come out of the bag. I grabbed a plastic bag and reached in and pulled out a HUGE CHUNK of this BLACK, WHITE AND PURPLE MOLDY FOOD. I was horrified as I know that black mold kills, i panicked and called the number on the bag. After being on hold for almost 15 minutes this rude and just cold as hell woman gets on the phone and listens to what happend. Without any sympothy or apology asks for my information an tells me they will send a refund in the mail. Im like is that it??!!..my dog has BLOOD in his stool and they are both really sick!..what about the vet bill im going to have cuz now my otherwise healthy dogs have to go to the vet not to mention this nasty a** moldy dogfood has caused me to have to rent a shampooer!@.. what are you going to do about that? She acted as if i was asking for an act from congress and told me their insurance company would need to deal with my claim if in fact it was their dogfood that made my dogs sick. They asked that i send a sample of the food and i did..3 weeks later get a “refund” of $20.00..the bag was 21.96 after tax..the shampooer was $31.00..didnt refund that. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY ANY PRODUCT FROM THE MARS COMPANY!!..EVER!!..DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND BUY A BETTER BRAND. THEIR FOOD MAY END UP KILLING SOMEONES BELOVED PET!!!

Susan Combs Jackson

Already opened it, dogs were out of food two days, had to wait for pay day so can’t take it back and not tossing 52 pounds. We do have a Big Lots but it is 45 miles away. But I will be in town Saturday for class and my grandson’s birthday party, so maybe I can get someone to drop me by to check it out. Our feed store sells Nutro 30# bag for $38.

LabsRawesome

I would either pitch that bag of Kal Kan, or take it back to the store. If you have a Big Lots, they may have something decent. I’ve found Grain Free dog foods like Nutro Ultra, and Evolve. I got a 12lb bag of Nutro Ultra GF for $12 there. They also had 22lb bags for $25. The expiration date is like 6 months away, but I’ll use it way before that.

Susan Combs Jackson

Thank you so very much! I appreciate the help and the information.

Bobby dog

Hi Susan:
There are a few threads on the forum side that might help with your pet food budget. One is a list of dog foods sold at Wal-Mart with a 3-4 DFA rating, the other is pertains to current coupons and sales posters on DFA come across:

Edit: You can often find affordable dog food in large bags with a decent rating at feed stores, some hardware stores, and if you have a Tractor Supply nearby they have a house brand 4Health that is rated well on DFA. Look into frequent buyer programs as well, for example buy 9 bags and the 10th is free.

Susan Combs Jackson

Charcoal tablets are great for runny stool. As dogs get older, their digestive systems are like ours, they can’t eat the foods they used to. I wish I could afford Rachel Ray or Blue Buffalo

Susan Combs Jackson

Went to Walmart at 5 am to get dog food before work and shelves were pretty empty. I’ve been using Purina One Smart Choice but saw the Kal Kan and remember seeing it at the Pet store in the expensive food aisle. Needless to say it was on sale and with my son just losing his job, I prayed it would be a good dog food since pickings were slim. After reading the ratings above and a few comments below; it seems I would be better off feeding my dogs a bag of potato chips (just kidding). I hope this is a good food as Michelle states. My German Shepard sheds awfully even with extra Omega 3’s put into her food so I will let you all know after a week or two. I hate cheap foods as the dogs go through 50 lbs. in a week and my yard is full of poop piles. With more nutritious foods, we don’t have this issue. Wish me luck.

Can’t comment on the validity of the opinions on the ingredients, but I have used Victor and 3 or 4 other non grain varieties or no corn variety of dog foods before the Kal Kan and had a variety of issues from the dogs (have 6 great pyrs and pyr mixes) from them not eating it, to stomach and skin problems with every one of them. We ran into money problems and grabbed the Kal Kan as a temporary feed one week to just have something, but all 6 dogs love it, all 6 dogs have gained weight and their coats look great. All of the dogs digest it fine with no problems and it cost about half what the other foods were costing us. Been feeding it to them for over a year now and they are still doing great on it with no bad effects so I’ll be sticking with the Kal Kan and recommending it to others.

chiapink

The absolute worst food, not that I have ever given it to my dogs, I wouldn’t, but I saw the bag of it at Walmart and read the label that said something like: contains Omega 6……….yeah great, without Omega 3, this oil will give your dog everything that has to do with inflamation! great food.

Batpotato

I’ve been reading the comments and have noticed a lot of dogs being immediately switched from Kal Kan to a better food and then having some diarrhea and upset tummy from it–please remember to change your dog’s food GRADUALLY! Depending on how much higher quality the food you’re switching to is, you should take at least a week, if not more, gradually increasing the amount of new food versus old food. Also consider adding probiotics or some plain canned pumpkin or sweet potato to help with the switch!

Kit

Did you get that from walmart.com? I think thats the ingredient list for a cookie lol

Kelley D

Well not the actual ingredient list but still not the best food. If your dog has meat allergies though it would be a great food. Here is the ACTUAL INGREDIENT LIST

Thanks for the advice. I might just do that. Payday on Thurs. The first so I can some extra food when I buy my groceries. My other dog is better now. But now my older dog is bad. Just runny stools. She only bleeds if she starts to strain too much. So I try not to let her do that. We are also starting to think they got a bug from the dog pen. That is used by everyone. Our other younger dog is fine now. It lasted about a week and now its over. But I will try that so she can heal intact I will try for both then slowly reintroduce thier dry food again.

sue66b

Just make sure you read the fat % get a kibble with a lower fat% while they are ill…specially if there’s blood in their stools..My boy was having blood in his stools last year, vet said he had colitis,I kept thinking he needed a lower fiber % food.. 6 months later he needed a lower fat % kibble, around 10% this has helped, now his poos are good, Also just boil chicken breast & I boil pumkin & freeze little meals & he has that for breakfast, then has the kibble for dinner.. It only cost about $1 a day to feed him the chicken breast & thats over 1 cup of shreaded chicken & I add 1 big heap tablespoon of pumkin & sometimes half a boiled egg all mushed up, I could eat it smells good..You can add rice aswell to fill them more. I’d feed the homecooked for 1 month to let the bowel heal..

LabsRawesome

Hey tarr, check out Victor. At the top of their page there is a store locator. When you click it you automatically get a list of stores in your area. You can call for prices. In my area the 15lb bag of Active dog is around $20. victordogfood.com

ttarr

Anybody have any suggestions for runny bowels. I threw out the kal kan and switched over immediately to dogswell happy hips because of her age. It has been a week now and it seems to help her. The problem is the first few days it was fine now squirts everywhere. There is a small amount of blood sometimes because after it shoots out of her she is straining too hard still to go. I am trying to minimize that. My other dog had the same problem but now it is getting less frequent. So I think she is starting to adjust to Rachel ray zero grain better. She was on kal kan for three months and this one for three weeks. When I realized that I needed to research I did. What an eye opener. I got my mom to order Rachel ray that came three days later. And in the meantime I tossed out the kal kan and fed them oatmeal with mixed veggies. The older dog aye the Rachel ray food for a day then the next day we finally got my husband grant check and cashed it. We then bought happy hips and started her on that. Because of the treat recall we have only bought the food. Won’t buy the treats. Any ideas would help. I used to feed my younger dog canidae. So she is used to eating it with no problems. Should I go back to that?

Kit

Thank you for that link btw!
I’m going to go over that list.

Kit

I understand this. Even the high quality rat blocks aren’t devoid of these nasties. I’m actually more concerned about red food dye than anything else, as it causes problems very fast in rats.

I’m just looking for something to supplement my breeders’ Native earth as it’s very expensive. I breed feeders so buying 40lb bags for $40 becomes very expensive. Adding in a 16lb bag of dog rood has really helped!

I’m still on the search for the best quality I can find for a low price. The only rat block sold in bulk around me is less nutritious for rats than this dog food is for dogs! So I’m stuck over-paying for lab block online, at least mixing 60-40 block and dog food helps me a lot with the price! They seem to pick through the Native earth and eat this first too 😛

Shawna

Hi Kit,

I had two pet rats when I was growing up.. They are a total hoot.

Although this food doesn’t have some of the items you listed, it potentially has something that might be every bits as problematic, or even more problematic.

Foods that contain “animal fat”, “meat and bone meal”, “beef and bone meal” and “animal digest” are potential sources of the euthanasia drug pentobarbital. The drug they use to kill dogs and cats. Not all foods with these ingredients will be a problem but you simply don’t know without researching which ones will and which won’t.

Pento gets into the kibble because euthanized animals are sent to rendering plants where some manufacturers get their ingredients from.

I will definitely be switching to something with a higher rating that is not extremely expensive. I just checked kal kan review and man is it bad. I am almost done with the bag now anyways so when I buy this next bag soon it won’t be kal kan. I am glad this site is here. My dogs are fine with this food but if it is that bad I don’t want long term affects later on.

ttarr

I see what is going on here. I believe this site was meant for information purposes only and not trash talking. Also I can’t afford expensive dog food either but I starve to death to feed my dogs healthy food. I once had a dog and cat that always had food but I didn’t. That’s because I fed them and went hungry. I always go hungry or eat really cheap food just to make sure my dogs are fine. I was once homeless for awhile because I couldn’t find work. My hubby did odd jobs around town and instead of buying for ourselves I used the little bit of money to buy dog food for my two dogs. I was homeless yes but I always made sure my dogs had food and water no matter what. Even if it meant starving to death.

LabsRawesome

My grandma says- before judging someone, walk a mile in their shoes first. And the Bible says- judge not, lest ye be judged.

Crazy4cats

That is why the doctor started this website. To teach people in a FRIENDLY manner about good nutrition for dogs.

Kathy McGrath

Well, you are wrong again, as I would NOT be amazed at the number of people who know nothing about what they are shoving down their dogs’ throats. This country has turned into a cesspool of ignorant morons, who really know nothing about ANYTHING. Again I ask, do the “vets” who recommend this crap also put cheap filth from China on their own dinner tables? Probably not…

loving dog owner

There you go agsin, judging others you know nothing about. Do you go around and ask all these people you see buying cheap food about their personal life and what they are buying? I highly doubt it! I’ve got pleanty of reading comprehension. What I don’t have, is tolerance for judgemental fools like yourself and others who have commented. You say I’m the one on the high horse because I think you are wrong for judging those who buy food like this, then you must be seated on the Eiffel Tower!

You should probably take a moment and think about the way you look at people when they are buying crappy dog food. Have you bothered to ask or share details with these people about the stuff in this food? It may shock you but, very little dog owners actually know what’s in dog food. Very little people even know what the ingredients actually are!!!! I run a husky behavior group and website. You’d be amazed how many discussions on food we have and how many of my members know NOTHING about what’s in the dog food they use. So much so, that I have this website pinned to my group news feed so it’s easy for everyone to find and encourages all to know more. But no matter what, not a single member is judge or thought less of because of what they buy! Did you also know the actual Vets recommend these cheap brands based on their own personal preference or their clients budgetary needs? Probably not….

neezerfan

I think sarcasm doesn’t come across too well in print, hence the misunderstanding. Sometimes people are too literal.

Kathy McGrath

I was not talking about actual poor people. Hence the quotation marks around the word poor. A little reading comprehension goes a long way. I’m referring to people who settle for nothing but the best for themselves, then go into WalMart and buy cheap, Chinese made filth that is disgustingly marketed as dog food. You can hop off that high horse now.

loving dog owner

You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for judging others based on their budgets and the brand of dog food they buy. Not everyone can afford spending $40-60+ on a single bag of dog food. Not mention even more if they have multiple dogs. The brand of dog food does not mean they don’t love their dogs or mean they are treated horrible. If the dog is being fed daily and treated good, then that is all that matters.

I personally buy Nutro for both my fur babies. I spend nearly $150 a month in dog food. But this past months my husband is transitioning to his old job and it pays only once a month. So we are going 3 weeks without a paycheck. Which means tight budget for us. So I bought this food. So far, my dogs are doing great on it. My male didn’t even get diarrhea. Does buying this food make me an awful pet owner? Or like the original poster said, does this mean I shouldn’t own my dogs anymore? HELL NO it doesn’t!!!!!! My dogs are loved, cherished, treated amazing and are family to us. So next time you want to pass unfounded judgement on others for no reason, take a long look in the mirror and pass judgement on yourself because you are lacking in many ways.

Btw, I’m the proud owner of 2 Siberian Huskies who are treated as well as my children! As for the feeding ourself garbage comment… yes, with being on a very tight budget, my kids and us will be eating a few top ramen and PB&J dinners and a few hamburger helper dinners too! Are you going to agree next that maybe I’m a bad parent and should no longer have my children because I’m feeding them ramen instead of prime rib? Does that mean I love them less?

Kathy McGrath

I often wonder if the “poor” folks feed themselves garbage like this too.

Kathy McGrath

OR take the dog to the vet with all that was happening? Unbelievable.

Kit

Whats funny about these lower quality foods is that I came here looking for the ingredients to feed this to RATS!!(for some reason walmart has the ingredients for cookies listed) Inexpensive dog food like this is pretty much perfect for breeding rats. Rats are omnivores that require higher plant content, and these cheap dog foods fit the bill perfectly.
The biggest challenge is finding a food without dyes. Finding rat food without BHA or that nasty vitamin K is impossible, even the expensive Harlan lab rat block has that K supplement in it!
So, I’m on a search for a cheap alternative, this one seems to have no dyes and may be my choice of rat food.
Pretty laughable if you ask me! LOL

dchassett

Also, this is a really terrible food. Look at all the ingredients in red. Awful. And the protein is too low and the carbs are astronomical. I wouldn’t doubt it in the least that your dogs major issues are this food. I’d suggest switching her food (slow transition so she doesn’t get diarrhea). You’ll see great results and save yourself some vet fees.

dchassett

Please check out grain free dogs foods on the 4 and 5 star reviews. High quality poultry (all poultry), grain, white potato, rice and soy free. You can find some of them that are not expensive. If you can spend a little more on the food, you’ll find you’ll spend very little at the vets. One of my dogs was a complete and total mess before I figured it all out. She has a lot of food allergies and intolerances. The vets, including allergist and dermatologist and her traditional vet had her constantly on different meds. When they started talking about putting her on steroids ally snapped out of it and took control. Went on line trying to figure it all out, illumination diets, limited ingredient diets, you name it I tried and and then I came across this site and spent a good couple of years getting her well. I’m happy to say she’s well, on no medications. No more loose stools or bad breath or gas can could clear the house and no more yeasty ears and crud from her eyes.

Erica Von

I’ve been feeding my puppy this for 3 weeks because we, alone, moved out of a multiple dog home and what a lesson I’ve learned on cutting corners! She has since had a reaction and can’t stop scratching and chewing her fur off. Ive sterilized the entire apartment, used familiar gentle cleaning products since, and wash her w oatmeal organic shampoo and even use an oatmeal medicated spray where she scratches. She has no abrasions and is almost always entertained therefore food allergy is all that’s left. I’m now switching to a home cooked mix of (unseasoned of course) 50% lean ground beef 25% mashed veggies like broccoli and carrots steamed, 25% brown rice. If this doesn’t help, she’s going to get an exam but it’s pretty obvious. She’s a 12lb dauchsund chihuahua mix at 9 months old

Travos

Well I liked it but they just changed it. Now it looks just like old roy dog good. I was using what was cheap cause I am on a budget. Last month I had to switch back to old roy cause they ran out of the Kal Kan. I did not mind buying the Kal Kan and taking a 2 pound loss since my dogs seemed to put on some weight over the old roy food. I will have to see what the new kal kan does over the next month. They might have just lost my money. Poor dogs.

Haywood Udume

My 14 year old dog eats this food with no issues. I’ve had 3 dogs over the past 19 years and have always fed these “cheap, crappy, 1-star” dog foods – Kal Kan, Ol Roy, Come & Get It, and even Good Sense. Lost one dog (cocker mix) to cancer after 11 years. Lost the other (beagle) to old age (blind and vestibular disease) at 15 years. My ACD just turned 14 a few months ago and is still doing well. Our newest puppy is getting Kirkland Puppy food (previously Hill’s Science and Puppy Chow before finally settling on Kirkland), but still manages to steal some of the cheap food from the older dog. Still waiting to see whether we will transition her to Kirkland Adult food or stick with the cheap Walmart brands (decision mostly has to do with personal decisions to eliminate Walmart from our shopping list).

I’ve read all the horror stories about the roadkill and questionable products in these “inferior” brands, I just haven’t had the same experience. Honestly, I don’t care what people choose to feed their pets. When I was feeding 3 dogs, I fed what I could afford. All 3 were rescue dogs and I just couldn’t afford the food that cost close to $1 per pound. I never once had a vet tell me they were unhealthy (although the ACD was diagnosed as overweight….as the other dogs were slow eaters and he was eating more than his fair share).

Even the dogs I had when I was younger were fed the cheaper dog foods. All of them died of natural causes (old age or other diseases “common” to their particular breed).

Betsy Greer

And, of course, before you took it back to Wal-Mart for a refund, you promptly contacted the FDA to report the adverse reaction, right?

I didn’t think so.

hmullet

We grabbed a bag of this the other day for our mastiff because they were out of Purina dog chow and he was out of food. He ate some in the morning and quickly developed diarrhea. He didn’t touch the food the rest of the day. Later that night he had a seizure, and he has never had trouble with seizures. The whole next day he was lethargic and wouldn’t respond to his name or anything. He just paced around the house, ran into walls, and generally had no idea what was going on. He continued to have the diarrhea and pissed everywhere, and actually fell asleep in the middle of the basement in his own poop. We ended up feeding him some vanilla ice cream which did the trick to get him to eat again. 3 days later he is still not 100% but he’s getting there. We took the food back to Wal-Mart and let them know what happened and got our money back.

Betsy Greer

Hi Speechless,

May I ask what food you switched her back to?

Speechless

We bought this for our black lab because it seemed to be a good value and included foods she likes. After a couple of weeks, she became very lethargic, and she had an upset stomach and started eating grass and having diarrhea. She had recently had a rabies shot and thought that was the reason, but during this time, she started refusing to eat., So we cut back to feeding her once a day, but she would still skip a day or even two, and when she wasn’t eating, she was better. When she’d get hungry enough, she would eat this food, and in about an hour, her behavior would dramatically change. That’s when I finally realized that it could be the food that was making her sick. So, yesterday we went a bought her old brand, and she has been her old, happy self ever since. I do NOT recommend this food AT ALL and will let the company know about it, too. Spread the word on this: It makes dogs very, very sick. So it’s a very bad value because we had to throw out 3/4 of it. Zero stars!

Lizzy the Parson Jack Russ

Why is this kind of crap still allowed/manufactured ? You can buy much better kibbles for a similar or just $5-10 more if you just constantly look for and use coupons and do some research! This kibble shouldn’t even be fed in combination with any better food (High end kibble or raw). All negatives, no positives to it. These kibbles are guaranteed to take months or years off of a dog’s lives and create constant digestive, mental, and energy problems. Talk about malnourished dogs 🙁 .

I feel terrible when I see people buying this stuff (Pedigree-esque) at grocery stores. And I feel equally terrible that my dog had to eat Pedigree when I got her from the shelter.. she was there for almost 2 weeks. She seemed to barely eat it and I’m sure the volunteers there slipped her some good stuff every now and then.

Even for all of the ignorant people, no matter how poor they are.. buying this stuff for “their” dogs, I’m sure they would stop buying it if they saw the ingredients in the factory going into it. Even if it’s baked into the ever so friendly sounding “kibble.” And of course people should not have dogs in the first place if they can’t feed them decent food. Meat and bone meal shouldn’t be allowed to be listed as an ingredient anymore!!! Christ. And The rest of the vague ingredients, along with soy, and BHA Animal fat… Sometimes I wonder how it came to this. How can we change this, anyone? I just clicked on this post as I browsed the most recent reviews. I couldn’t help but voice my most basic displeasure.